Transceiver Retrieval
by DimpleCurlAeternaGirl
Summary: Kate's personal narrative about taking Jack and Charlie to find the plane's cockpit and transceiver to radio rescuers. They find more than they were looking for. Note: This scene is shortened in "Kate's Clean Slate" Ch. 3 because of the storyline. One-Shot Based on S1Ep1


Disclaimer: Lost is owned by ABC Television and was created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, produced by Bad Robot Productions. I don't own it but I love it!

" _He wondered where the cockpit was to get the transceiver. I looked at the fire, thinking, then back up at him. I had seen some smoke when I stood up to get my bearings in the jungle. I told him about the smoke I saw in the valley about a mile away. I would take him there in the morning as soon as it was light, but I was going with him. I didn't give him a choice. He didn't look like he knew about tracking or things to look for in the wild, good or bad."_

 _Kate's Clean Slate_ _: Chapter 3 by DimpleCurlAeternaGirl_

 _"_ **You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."** _**-Eleanor Roosevelt**_

It was early morning.

Most of the survivors didn't sleep after the "thing", the unidentified monster that was stories high, passed by the makeshift beach camp among the wreckage last night. It tore down towering palms trees and trees in its path, making ungodly noises. Its roars echoed through the valley. It lumbered past the beach and beyond, it's tread shaking the ground, until the noises faded.

There was a current of nervousness and fear among the people. I don't think many people slept after that. They were talking about it and speculating in groups. They were wired.

If we weren't crash survivors on a deserted island inhabited by a monster, it would have been a picturesque morning. The sunrise was beautiful, lighting the sky with soft light and the palest hues of orange and yellow. The beach and jungle were illuminated by the morning light behind us.

Yes, it was lovely until I thought about what could be lurking in there waiting for us. That wouldn't deter me though. Jack was now hell-bent on getting to that cockpit and finding the transceiver. I was going with him.

I was the only one that could take him there. I saw the smoke rising from it in the valley yesterday. I was the key to getting there and coming back the fastest and had the wilderness experience the doctor lacked.

It was one thing that I was confident about, as much as I hated myself. My Dad was a decorated Sergeant Major in the Army, a career soldier, and started training me since before kindergarten. He taught me through my teens. I didn't doubt Dad's training or my ability to remember it.

I don't know if anyone else had that experience or skill yet among the group and wasn't going to ask. I believe in actions. Words rank way below that. Some braggart may say they were a jungle tour guide, but it may turn out it was only on the Disney boat cruise attraction with fiberglass animals. In all my experience, growing up and being on the run, I learned people's actions spoke volumes louder versus their words.

I was tense and on guard last night in case I needed to bolt. My loner, survival instincts and mentality were shifting slightly. I could race ahead like a gazelle, knowing where I would go, but was getting to know the people around me, my fellow survivors. Some people may not be able to run, like the pregnant girl, Claire, or the older lady with the kind, wise voice, Rose. People would scatter in fear and panic if that "thing" came on the beach.

I was getting a sense there were people here that needed to be guided and protected. I felt protective of some of the people I met, but I didn't know who had any usable skills beyond Jack and Sayid yet. A few men might have brute strength, but what else? My brain kept me awake with these thoughts last night. I wasn't in Kate survival mode. I was starting to shift into thinking about us as a pack or a fleeing herd. How do animals flee and keep their most vulnerable members protected? Where would we go?

* * *

I found Jack with his back to everyone. He was standing, watching the waves crash onto the shore. I walked up to him and stood closely behind him. In a lower voice, I asked, "You ready?" I didn't want to alert anyone. I didn't sleep either but was determined.

Jack had his back to me. He had another white, clean t-shirt on, jeans and shoes for hiking. He made an impressive figure, standing straight and tall. He's least 6'2", broad shouldered, muscular arms and torso underneath that shirt, had a tapered waist and strong legs that could run fast and filled out his jeans nicely. His dark hair was so short it was within military regulation length. He was perfectly proportionate and athletic. He looked more like a quarterback than a doctor. In hindsight, I bet he works out based on what I saw when I stitched him up.

He heard me and was slow to respond. I stood beside him and he turned to look at me, into my eyes. I could see the pale orange of the sunrise reflected in his. I knew immediately he had been thinking about the hike and braced myself. He looked determined too.

Before he spoke, he looked me over. He was assessing my small size and build. I'm small and lean but he hasn't seen how strong I am except when I took off my long-sleeve shirt to sew him the first day. I had my tank top on. He was in terrible pain and facing the other way as I stitched the skin of his back together. I don't know if he even noticed.

"Kate, you showed me where the smoke was. I can get there myself." He looked deeply into my eyes, wanting to convince me. He was trying to protect me. Maybe it was because my guard slipped yesterday, crying in the middle of stitching him. Maybe it was my diminutive size compared to his.

"I'm coming with you." I said firmly. I knew where it was and there was no way I was going to let him go alone.

"I want you to stay here." He was firm too. He talked to me as if we were together, not as if we met 3 days ago. He couldn't stop from going anywhere. I would follow him even if he refused.

"No." I was firm, but not argumentative.

"We don't know what the terrain's going be. You're safer if you. . ." He started to reason with me but I cut him off.

"I can't prove to you that I'm up for it standing here." I shook my head then said simply. "I'm going with you." I wasn't ready to start peeling back my layers, my real history and experience yet. I wasn't ready. I wanted to trust him but hadn't trusted anyone like that since Dad or Tommy. That was years ago.

Jack sighed, then shook his head and looked off to the left a moment. I could see the argument in him was finished. He accepted my answer and smiled. He looked over me carefully again, then examined my feet. "You're gonna need better shoes." I thought about it and swallowed, knowing there was only a few ways to find them.

* * *

I looked around and in unclaimed suitcases, even glanced in the creepy fuselage to find hiking shoes or boots discarded or in a bag that were my size or close. No luck. I wasn't staying behind because of these stupid dress shoes.

I found them on dead body. I stood a few yards away. She was face down in the sand and her hiking boots were fairly new. I didn't want to disturb her or "rob the dead" but I needed them. I would put them to good use in the future, not just for myself. She would never walk again. I crept closer, knelt and slowly began to untie them, lifting her foot gently to remove the first one.

It was bleak work, something I never would have considered doing in the past. It was out of necessity. It wasn't just the hike. There were ripe fruit trees that I needed to climb. My dress shoes wouldn't give me the grip and stabilization I needed to scale a tall mango tree trunk with no low branches. I removed the second one with the same care, silently apologizing and thanking her at the same time.

I put them on. They fit. I felt eyes on me. I looked up towards the shore. A man, Locke, was watching me. He had an intense gaze with blue, multi-hued eyes. I sensed he was skilled but I wasn't sure how yet. He walked around confidently and kept busy. I wasn't sure what to think of him. I got the sense he liked it here, which I found odd. Maybe it was post-traumatic stress. He was in his late 40s, bald, and still in good shape. He had a cut that ran straight down from his right forehead to below his eye from the crash. He was lucky it missed his eye. I wondered if he knew this woman I took the shoes from.

Locke broke my train of thought. He smiled and revealed an orange peel covering his teeth, the same as a child would. It was disturbing considering the situation. It felt disrespectful, not of me, but of her.

I felt he approved of what I was doing but for God's sake, I just took the shoes off of a dead woman, someone's wife, daughter, mother, sister.

Locke turned away from me and continued to peel the orange he was eating.

I overhead Jack talking and started to walk over. He was addressing a small group of people that were sitting. I had met some of them already, but not all. I overheard Jack but wasn't there yet. I could see a few. The group included Sayid, Michael, Walt, Boone, the woman I think is his sister, Charlie and the bigger guy I hadn't met yet.

"I'm going to look for the cockpit. See if we can find a transceiver to send out a distress signal. Help out the rescue team." Jack notified them.

Their voices carried over to me with Jack's. they seemed surprised. Jack turned to Boone. Boone seemed eager to help Jack but had no experience. Jack gave him minor, achievable things to do instead. He gave Boone a task. "You're going to need to keep an eye on the wounded. If that guy in the suit wakes up, try to keep him calm. Don't let him remove the shrapnel. You understand?"

I could see Boone's profile. He nodded and looked up at Jack, who was squatting while the rest of them sat in a circle in the sand. "Yeah, got it. What about the guy with the leg? Your tourniquet . . ."

"Stopped the bleeding. I took it off last night. He'll be all right." Jack interjected.

Boone nodded looking a little impressed. "Yeah, okay. Cool . . . uh, good job."

Charlie stepped up to the group. "Hey, I'm coming with. . . I wanna help."

Jack shook his head. "I don't need any more help."

Charlie looked pale in the sunlight, a little off to me like he was sick. I thought he was pleasant enough, British, had some band and one big hit song years ago, but I didn't mention to him that I knew that.

He wore medical tape around four fingers that he kept writing things on with a black sharpie. Right now, "F-A-T-E" was his new word of choice. He persisted. "No, I wanna go. I'm not too keen on keeping still." Jack gave him a slight nod as he stood.

I took my time reaching the group, knowing Jack had to answer questions before we left. The Southern guy, the one with the mouth, strolled up to the group. Great. "Yeah, this is genius. Going into the jungle? After that sound last night? The thing that moved those trees? Yeah, this is a great idea."

I arrived as he finished his monologue, stating the obvious. It didn't change the fact we needed the transceiver. "What's going on?" I asked. I acted as if I hadn't heard the last comment.

"Nothing." Jack looked at me and my shoes, giving a slight nod of approval.

"When they show up to rescue us while you're gone, we're not waiting around." The Southern guy commented with a smirk. I just stared at him with a blank look.

Jack ignored him and turned to me. "Let's go."

Charlie piped up. "Oh, she's coming too? Excellent!" Charlie took off smiling and headed into the jungle first with no idea where he was going.

Jack and I looked at each other and I shrugged. We took off after him before he got lost.

* * *

We went through the jungle and now were in an open, grassy area dotted with trees. This island has a diverse amount of foliage, trees, and terrain. I could tell the rock we came across was volcanic. This was a volcano at some point, like other islands.

We were at a higher elevation and could see the ocean far behind us between the foothills starting to rise on both sides. Our trio would re-enter the high grass, then jungle soon but were at least another hundred yards away. Jack carried a large stick to help clear the way through the grass. He didn't say much. He was ten yards ahead of me and Charlie walked behind me.

I decided to ask Charlie about his band in a roundabout way. I thought it would make him feel good. He was eager to go for some reason but seemed off still. I don't know if it was trauma or illness. There was also a sense of sadness underneath his humor, which I overheard when he tried to cheer up the pregnant girl, Claire.

He got her a blanket and kept her company, sitting with her in the evening. She was a pretty, sweet girl. She was a petite, blonde Australian and a few years younger than me. What she was doing on the plane that far along in pregnancy was beyond me. I thought there was some kind of cutoff date like 6 or 7 months. Jack told me she was 8 months along when I asked him discreetly.

Charlie had taken an interest in helping her, kept her company and made her laugh which I found to be thoughtful. His jokes seemed to be directed at himself in a self-depreciating way.

"You mind if I ask you something?" I peeked back at Charlie so he'd know I was talking to him.

Charlie seemed to perk up. "Me? No, I'd be thrilled. I've been waiting."

Waiting? I smiled a little. "I have we ever met anywhere?"

Charlie shook his head. "Nah. That would be unlikely."

"Hmm." I still smiled a little. We continue to hike ahead in Jack's wake and were making good time so far.

"I look familiar though?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah." I responded.

"You can't quite place it." Charlie was enjoying the line of talk. He was smiling now. I could hear it in his voice.

"No, I can't." I glanced behind periodically to see his expression.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I know." He nodded, pretending to be serious.

"You do?" I asked.

Then, Charlie did something that surprised me. He started singing that song, the one-hit song's refrain with lyrics I didn't quite understand in a falsetto voice. "You all everybody! You all everybody!" He looked impressed with himself.

I still didn't know what it meant. I caught Jack glancing back. He looked at Charlie like he was nuts. "You still don't get it? You never heard that song?"

"Of course, I've heard it. I just don't know what the hell it has to. . ."

Charlie cut me off. "Well that's why I'm . . . that's us! Drive Shaft!"

"What?" My voice registered disbelief.

Charlie gave me a surprised look. "God, you never heard of bloody Drive Shaft?"

"The band?" I asked incredulously. "You were in Drive Shaft? Are you kidding me? My friend, Beth, would freak out. She loved you." I had no friend named Beth and tried not to sound too much like a fan girl.

Charlie was delighted. I felt a little bad but couldn't think of another way to help dispel the sadness. This island, crash, everything sucked. Doing something for Charlie that made him feel a little better, even if it involved my playing ignorant, wasn't a crime, was it?

"Give me Beth's number. I'll call her." I turned to Jack, trying to tone down my grin. We had no phones or form of communicating here. I guess he forgot.

"Jack. You know Drive Shaft?"

Jack shook his head at me. It looked like a grateful "no" on his part. Charlie didn't see his face since we were in a line. He paused and waited for us to catch up. "We've got to keep moving." Jack was in mission mode.

"They were good." I commented.

Charlie corrected me. "You don't have to keep using the past tense, you know. We're still together. In fact, I'm supposed to be in the middle of a comeback."

I focused on hiking and keeping pace with Jack and scanned the area. My eye caught a strange color among the tall grass uphill, a white, blonde distinctive shape. I didn't look directly at it but it was to my right. Out of the corner of my eye I swear it looked like a labrador retriever's head peeking through the grass. I waited, then casually glanced to the right again. By then it was gone. Maybe it was a trick of the light.

* * *

We entered another area of jungle. I was enjoying the hike so far. My body was energized with the hiking and senses were sharp. I love the outdoors. I pushed last night out of my mind enough to move forward.

I was alert, looking for any signs of danger along the way, not to mention food, fresh water, and anything else that might be useful as we made our way to the cockpit. It was a multi-purpose mission for me. I revealed nothing about it. It would involve explaining my past, my Dad. I couldn't go there. It was too painful to talk about and there was that whole trust issue I have.

The sky began to darken suddenly from daylight to gray. It was bizarre. I don't recall storm clouds. The wind picked up and electricity crackled in the air above us. All three of us stopped.

Suddenly, it started pouring. Sheets of rain came down. It was torrential and cold. We were all soaked instantly.

"Is this normal? Day turning to night, end of the world kind of weather? Guys?" Charlie asked looking around.

We were dripping with water. Everyone paused when we saw the cockpit. I put my hand on Jack's side. I looked at Jack and Charlie. Their faces mirrored my feelings. I was a little scared to go inside. I knew what was in there besides the transceiver.

"Well?" Jack took the lead again. "Let's do this." He led the way and we hurried through the mud and leaves to the cockpit wreckage. It was smashed and in bad shape. The cockpit was resting on a giant tree, putting the plane section at 45-degree angle. It was a horrible sight. Wires and wreckage were hanging out of the back. We had to be ready for anything.

Charlie spoke up. "Let's get this trans . . ."

"Transceiver." Jack completed the word for him.

"Transceiver thing and get out of here."

We walked around the twisted metal section, looking for a way in. There was a jagged opening at ground level that we could enter. It would be difficult, especially with the climb. Jack made his way up the steep angle leveraging the seats on both sides. I followed doing the same on my knees and Charlie was somewhere behind me.

I had to grab onto anything I could seat legs mainly, to help pull myself up. The bodies had been in the plane for over a day now. I tried not to breathe much during the ascent. I made it to the top part and slide to the left side. It was by the airplane door in the flight attendant area. Everything was eerily tilted. I looked back. Jack was already next to me and Charlie was still sliding and making his way up into our section.

I panted from the exertion. It wasn't the climb as much as battling how slippery we were. It made it twice as hard. I looked back. The airbags were at a slant, overhead bins hung open. There was at least a half-dozen bodies still buckled in their seats. I looked away. I felt uneasy in there.

I caught Jack's eye. He was examining my face as he caught his breath, a slight frown his. I tried to look calm. I wasn't going to lose it or puke. Something didn't feel right, beyond the dead bodies. I couldn't figure out what I was sensing, but it wasn't safe here. We needed to get out as quickly as possible.

Charlie spoke up. "Let's find your transgizmo and get outta here, yeah?" I couldn't agree more.

The sound of rain was still pounding on the broken hull of the plane. Jack tried the cockpit door. It was locked. No surprise. He grabbed a charred fire extinguisher and told me to get back. I scooted back against the wall near the large, locked airplane door.

Jack slammed the extinguisher down on the door knob. It dented it. He did it again and the lock broke a little. The third time he hit it with all of his strength, yelling "Come on! Come on!"

There was a loud bang! The door ripped open and a pilot's body fell out, plummeting down the aisles past us. I screamed as it happened. Jack shouted and jumped back.

Charlie screamed too, "Ahhh! Damn!" He had just reached the front section where we were and had to dodge the body by diving to the side.

My heart was racing. It was something out of a horror film. I looked at Jack as I clung to wires hanging down including the flight attendant radio for announcements. I couldn't hide the fright. "You okay?" He asked.

No. I wasn't. "Yeah? You?" I didn't want him to tell me to stay behind. We had to find it and get out of here. Fast.

"I'm fine. Charlie's fine by the way!" Charlie exclaimed.

Jack was ready to enter the cockpit. His wet hiking shoes squeaked, as all of ours did on the floor since we were soaked and trying to get some traction.

"Jack. . ." I said. My voice was off. It was the stress and fear.

He spoke to me, his tone protective. "Kate, you don't have to go up there."

"No, I'm good." I didn't want him to go alone. Was I afraid? Yes. But didn't he say we have to face our fear or it would make us insane? Maybe this would help stave off any nightmares about it later.

Jack reached over to me and pulled me over, then pushed me into the cockpit first as I climbed in on my belly. He pushed on my legs and bottom to give me leverage. I grunted from the effort and was able to get to the right back wall. I scooted over, sat, leaning against it and waited for him. He was climbing in as soon as I was settled. I grabbed him to help pull him up. He ended up with his back to the pilot's seat on the left. It was still occupied behind him.

He stood and started to search compartments. I wanted to help but had no idea what we were looking for. "What does a transceiver look like?" I asked.

He kept searching, quickly. He wanted to get the hell out of there too. "Like a complicated walkie talkie." I started to search for it.

We needed to check the pilot's compartment. I didn't want to touch him but had to. I pulled the pilot's upper body back off of the controls, letting gravity do the rest. I began to search it but had to reach across him. Suddenly, the pilot jolted awake. I gasped, startled badly, and scrambled back to the other side. I looked at Jack in amazement, my eyes round and heart pounding. He was alive.

Jack was frozen only for a second, then he moved over to the pilot to check him in full doctor mode. The pilot was coughing and obviously hurt. His face was swollen and bruised. His right eyelid had a cut that made the lid swell shut. Jack took off his seat belts and checked his pulse. "Hey! Can you hear me?"

He turned to me. "I need the water." He motioned to a water bottle on the co-pilots side that was partially full. I handed it to him.

The pilot was dazed and weak. Now that I was over my initial shock, I felt bad for him. He had been stuck there for over a day, alone. If we hadn't come looking for the transceiver . . .

"What . . ." The pilot tried to talk. Jack loosened his tie and collar and took the water I gave him. Jack gave it to the pilot who took a sip but coughed it up. He turned his face towards us. He was in charge of our plane and looked like he was ready to shed some tears. "How . . . many . . . survived?" He asked.

"At least 48. Including you." Jack answered.

The pilot nodded, looking heartsick. I knew he felt responsible for the souls that were onboard. Jack continued to check him over. I watched but still continued to glance around. I couldn't search that side and maybe the pilot would know where it was.

So far, he seemed nice, like he had a heart. I looked at him and noticed he had a plain wedding band on his left ring finger. It reminded me of the amount of families that must have been impacted. He has a wife somewhere. I looked around. The rain was still coming down in sheets.

"Anything feel broken?"

"Head hurts . . . dizzy." The pilot answered. It looked bad. He must have hit his head more than once during the crash.

"Probably a concussion." Jack looked in his good eye and at the swelling on his head.

"How long has it been?" The pilot asked. His concerns were professional. Survivors. Time. He was hurt badly but thinking of everyone else.

"Sixteen hours." Jack answered.

"Sixteen . . ." The pilot shifted and looked at us. The number hit him, then he looked afraid. "Has anyone come?"

Jack shook his head. "Not yet."

Jack and I watch as the pilot closed his eyes briefly. He was thinking and was in pain, maybe not from his injuries but the information Jack gave him.

He weakly began to speak. "Six hours in, our radio went out. The redundant system . . . the transponder wasn't functioning. No one could see us." He paused, his face filling with dread. "So, we turned back . . . to land in Fiji." My scalp tingled as I listened.

"When we hit that turbulence . . . we were over a thousand miles off course." He looked at us both, his face full of the same dread. "They're looking for us . . . in wrong place."

My heart began to pound again. I looked at Jack. His face registered the same dread as the pilots. This was the worst news, something Jack hadn't anticipated.

"We have a transceiver." The pilot said slowly. He tried to stand but he was weak and bruised up.

"Good, that's what we were hoping. Listen, you shouldn't try to move" Jack said.

"No, no. I'm okay. It's okay. Transceiver's right there. It's right there." He pointed behind him. I quickly made my way across and grabbed it. It was wedged behind his seat on the floor and looked damaged. I got up and handed it to him, hoping it would work after what I just heard. The pilot began to fiddle with it, turning knobs.

Jack looked at me. "Where's Charlie?" I shook my head.

I heard the pilot say, "It's not working."

I frowned and slid to the door of the cockpit carefully. I peeked in the plane but couldn't see Charlie. I saw a lot of rain hitting the windows still, the tilt of the cabin, the dead bodies, discolored and contorted. I slid down into the first section.

I glanced over at one of the lavatory doors. It was opened. They were closed before. I heard something inside of it. Oh, God. I hope it's not an animal . . . I looked inside to see Charlie was leaning over the toilet. "Hey, what are you . . ."

Charlie jumped. I had frightened him. He was nervous and turned around with a strange look. Fear? Guilt? He's usually so talkative but had no answer for a several moments and smiled. "What? Nothing . . ."

I heard a sound then, the wailing roar. It was the thing, the monster, and it was close, really close. I froze in terror, unable to move or breathe. I heard Jack whisper yell. "Kate! Kate!" My muscles unlocked and I scrambled on my belly into the cockpit to his voice, to Jack.

He offered both arms. Charlie pushed me in from behind and followed. Jack was behind the co-pilots seat on the floor and pulled me in fast to hold me. My back was to him as I sat between his legs with both of his arms wrapped around me, my head cradled in his right arm because of the angle. I didn't know if I was safe, but his arms made me feel like I was. We were both breathing hard. I could feel his heart hammering against my back.

"It's right outside." I said under my breath to him.

The pilot was hunched down in his seat. "What's right . . ." He spoke in a normal voice.

"Shhh. . ." Jack tried to keep him quiet.

Jack let me go and I went, making myself small, and hid behind the pilot's seat where the transceiver came from.

Maybe it would leave if it didn't know we were in there. That's a big "if." It may be here because we were already where it wanted us. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Everything shook. It was right there beside the plane. It took another step and was right outside of the cockpit. We were all frozen. None of us moved or breathed. It stepped again and the wired and loose console pieces shook with the impact. Time was moving so slowly. I tried not to panic but my heart was beating out of control.

A dark shaped moved from the right side to the left. It crossed the windows around to the side. Jack slowly stood. We were dealing with something from a dark fairy tale or horror story. Was it a large dinosaur? Godzilla? I tried to watch Jack and copy his actions. He silently wiped away some humidity from the intact side window behind us.

I went across to the pilot's seat which he had just vacated and tried to wipe the humidity off the small side-window with the cuff of my shirt, hoping and not hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature outside. We were deathly quiet. The pilot was in the co-pilot's chair. I turned to figure out what he was doing. He was moving towards the broken window.

"I wouldn't do that." Jack whispered.

"Good to know." The pilot whispered and put the transceiver down on the seat. He pushed the branches and leaves away and put his head out of the shattered window to look around. I watched, terrified, as Jack did across from me. Bad idea, I thought. Bad idea. Alarm bells were going off in my head and I braced. I tried to talk to the pilot as quietly as possible. "Do you see . . ."

Suddenly, the pilot's body was yanked up but he was stuck. His legs hit the dash. I screamed and couldn't stop. The thing yanked and yanked on him as the pilot screamed louder but his legs kept hitting the dashboard.

Charlie tried to scramble up and was yelling, 'What the hell's happening?" As Charlie screamed the pilot's legs hit the dash again. The pilot's screams were horrible. I screamed again, unable to control myself.

Suddenly, the pilot was yanked out of the cockpit and the thing slammed into the side of it where we still were. Blood spattered the windows on the pilot's side behind me. I shook in terror. He was just sitting minutes ago. Jack was short of breath, trying to control his fear on the opposite wall in the corner.

We were all tossed to the floor, scrambling to get out. I felt like a wild animal wanting nothing more than to escape and hide. Jack turned back to reach into the cockpit. The thing kept slamming against the plane.

"Jack!" I yelled. The transceiver. It had fallen off the chair. Jack almost had it but one of the slams knocked it out of his grasp.

"Leave it!" Charlie yelled.

Jack was focused. He lunged for it as the thing slammed once again against the side of the plane. Jack lost his footing. It was just an arm's length away. He staggered to his feet, grabbed it and the plane was hit again hard.

All three of us fell, scrambled to get, up, fell as the front section began to drop.

We fell a third time when the whole cockpit dropped to the ground. The monster was right there and we heard that horribly unearthly cry, making my ears ring. It echoed inside of the plane. It was still pouring outside.

I was out first and took off. Jack was right behind me and Charlie in the rear. I ran like hell, as if my life depended on it because it did.

* * *

The roar came again. I couldn't think. I was functioning on pure instinct. It roared and sounded like it was all around us. I didn't know if I was running away from it or towards it. I was so confused, crying, running full out in the rain. I almost wiped out in a big mud slick but caught myself with my hands and stayed on my feet.

There was loud thunder overhead. I didn't know if it was the monster or the storm. "JACK!" I screamed as loudly as I could. I ran and ran and finally slipped and fell hard. I scrambled again and spun to my left, squeezing into a huge, old banyan tree. I made it to the middle and held the vines like bars, but they were the kind to keep out bad things, not keep me in. I waited and waited. I was terrified. Nobody was there. I was alone. I screamed as loudly as I could, hoping he would hear me, "JACK!"

It was raining still. I shook in terror and with cold, looking back through the vines, tears pouring down my face. I tried to think. What did Jack say? I breathed hard and started to count to five . . .

It helped with the worst of the terror, but some of it returned. I heard a sound over the pouring rain. Something was coming towards me. I turned around and looked behind, petrified. Nothing was there.

I turned back to my left and Charlie was right there in my face. It didn't register in my brain that it was him. I screamed, shoved then tackled him. I ended up pinning him down in the mud.

"Where the hell's Jack?!" I yelled, my face over his while we were both soaked in the loud downpour.

"I don't know!" Charlie was recovering from my attack, fear in his eyes.

"Did you see him?!" I demanded loudly over the downpour.

"Yes, he helped me up!" Charlie yelled.

"Where is he?!" I asked loudly.

"I don't know where he . . ." Charlie started.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW?!" I yelled at him. Jack just saved Charlie's life!

"WE GOT SEPARATED!" Charlie sounded desperate for me stop questioning him. "He pulled me up. If he hadn't that thing . . ."

"Did you see it?" I asked, suddenly lowering my voice. I started to feel a deadly calm, the type that came over me when the marshal was pursing me and Ray. It was like liquid steel running through my veins, but this time it wasn't fueled by anger or resentment. Something new was fueling it.

Charlie talked quickly this time to get a whole statement out. "No. No. But it was right behind us. We were dead, I was. Until Jack came and pulled me up. I don't know where he is!"

The rain suddenly stopped, as if a faucet had been turned off. I looked up into the canopy overhead. Daylight was peeking through. Charlie craned his neck to see what I was looking at and breathed in relief, probably because I stopped yelling at him.

"We have to go back for him." I was dead serious. I didn't give a damn what was out there. I wasn't going to run away from what I feared this time. I was going to run straight towards it and there was no way in hell I was leaving Jack behind.

Charlie looked at me with disbelief. "Go back? There? Love, listen, there's a certain gargantuan quality to whatever the hell that thing is . . ."

I got up. "Then don't come."

I took off.

"Kate!" He called out. I could hear Charlie's reluctant footsteps stomping behind me.

* * *

I made my way back through the wet jungle with dripping leaves that we just came from. I looked everywhere for signs of Jack or that thing. Tracks, broken branches, leaves, God help me but I looked for any clothes, shoes, any sign of him. Every sense was alert, searching, scanning. I had to find him. Charlie was close behind me.

"I heard you shout. I heard you shout "Jack". I'm Charlie, by the way." He was nervous and maybe his ego was bruised but that wasn't my priority.

I needed him to be quiet so I could hear anything, rustling or cries for help. Dripping sounds were everywhere. It was disconcerting after the chaos. The only sound was crickets or kin to them in the Gryllidae family.

We came to an area where the rain made a shallow pool of water. I saw something things shining in the mud. I squatted down and picked it up the largest item. It was the metal pilot's wings that were on the pilot's shirt. Around it was coins, some already muddy, as if they fell out of a pocket.

I sensed what was coming next. The shallow pool was barely moving. I looked in the reflection first and grimaced, seeing what I already knew would be there. I stood and slowly looked up, seeing something horrific. A broken, skinned body, about 3 stories above.

Charlie did the same. "What the hell is that?" He asked.

A welcome voice answered to my left. "It's the pilot." I turned to see Jack and automatically moved to him as he walked to me. We stood less than a foot apart and looked at each other. I assessed him visually. He was muddy, but okay. I had the compulsion to hug him but restrained myself.

When was the last time I spontaneously hugged anyone or anyone hugged me that way? Kevin, my non-legal husband?

Something about Jack brought my guard down, a scary thing that made me feel vulnerable.

I settled instead for our close proximity as we talked instead. "Did you see it?"

"No. It was right behind me. I dove into the bushes." He gestured where he came from.

Charlie looked up at the tree again. "Excuse me people, but how the hell does something like this happen?"


End file.
